Europe,  Italy,  TDM,  Travel Journal,  Venice

3rd & 4th days in Venice (Italy): Arsenal, churches, the Scuolas, Murano & Lido

In the previous episode, I took you to see the must-see places in Venice. In this article, we continue to explore the equally beautiful, but less visited places. Beware, some of them are very famous too, but wouldn’t have been put in the must-see list of travelers who only spend 2 days there.

Program of the 3rd and 4th days in Venice: Very nice but not essential

Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Diary

Sorry it took so long to finish the travel books. Who says November/December says Black Friday/Christmas. It’s a busy time for those who work in online marketing like me.

Venice Arsenal

The Arsenal is only two (boat) stations away from St. Mark’s Square and on the way to the boat to Moreno, so why not visit the Arsenal before St. Mark’s Square, or before you go to the Moreno or Lido islands?

It was a shipyard that played a decisive role in the construction of the Venetian Empire by allowing the rapid production of many ships. Right next door there is the Museum of Naval History of Venice, a pavilion with a beautiful collection of ships, but it was closed when we went there. There is a nice bridge over the canal too, it’s beautiful! The neighborhood, a stone’s throw from Saint Mark’s, is more authentic and nice, I highly recommend it!

Santa Maria di Nazareth Church

This church is right next to the Venice train station. People visit it first or last. Be careful, it is NOT this one.

but this one, right in front of the water cabs:

The interior is a little too perfumed with incense, but the interior is sumptuous and I think it is the most beautiful church in Venice. Everywhere in Italy there are lighting systems, where you put 1€ or 2€ and it illuminates the chapel (so you can see the details) for a few minutes. Here too, I find it funny.

Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

Access to some basilicas and churches is subject to a fee. For 3€, you can either enter, or you can access a private collection, or the private chapel etc. There is a card (Chorus) allowing, for 12€, to visit about ten churches and basilicas for a fee. I have paid for it and I find that it isn’t worth the 12€. So pay the accesses one by one, it’s more profitable. The access to this basilica costs 3€ and it’s worth it. It houses many works of art and funeral monuments of great Venetian men.

Scuola Grande of San Rocco

Right next door is the Scuola Grande of San Rocco, one of the historical brotherhoods of Venice, whose role was to fight against plague epidemics and to help the population. Here we just have a large hall on the ground floor decorated with huge frescoes and 3 rooms on the first floor, but it is richly decorated, with great taste. We were almost alone there.

I much prefer the configuration of this room to those of the Doge’s Palace, mainly thanks to the wooden statues that adorn the walls, reminding us of vices as well as virtues. Access costs 8€/person.

On the top floor there is a small collection of religious items.

Campo San Polo

It is the 2nd largest in Venice. In winter, an ice rink is installed there. I didn’t take pictures because I’m not very impressed by this place, but I think that in winter it will be more attractive.

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

If we were not aware that this palace existed, it would have been impossible to find it at the bend of a street. You have to cross a lot of alleys before turning right into another small alley that you thought was condemned. This is the magic of the Internet: allowing us to find hidden corners 😀

Because of the Covid, the ticket office is closed and you have to buy the tickets only online (10€/person). It seems that the view from above is magnificent, and just taking pictures of the spiral staircase will keep the photographers busy for a long time. For laziness, we didn’t visit it by paying, but only by looking at it from the gate.

Murano

The Murano Islands are accessible by boat. Before, they were independent, before being attached to Venice. Everybody goes there to watch the master glassmakers at work. All the stores are full of souvenirs & glass artworks, it’s a pleasure for the eyes, I recommend you if you like crafts. Before arriving on the Murano Islands, you will pass by San Michele Island, which is actually a giant cemetery.

Murano Island is very similar to the center of Venice, but more quiet.

We visited a workshop of manufacture (artisanal). For 5€, you can watch the master glassmakers work on a precise detail. They do the same task all day long to increase their productivity so depending on your luck, you will get an ultra interesting product (with a glassblower) or less interesting (a part of a chandelier). In any case, we liked this experience very much, it was cold outside but very hot in the workshop thanks to the many hihihi ovens

We visited the Glass Museum too, for 10€/person. The collections are superb, and the explanations are detailed enough to be interesting without being boring. There are many videos that show the different manufacturing techniques.

What I liked very, very much, were the glass miniature portraits. It’s very small but there are so many details. It’s hard to believe it’s glass even though we have them in front of us. Moreover, they are so small (barely 1cm) that the museum has to take a picture and zoom in to see the details.

explanation of the techniques used

I liked less the contemporary part even if there are some works whose technique and beauty are appreciated. I would say that to explore Murano, it takes a big morning. After that, you can spend the whole afternoon on the Lido Island to gild the pill on the beach

souvenir stores all sell the same things

Lido

We are in autumn so Lido isn’t a major interest for us. However, during the summer, it is the place to be, to have access to the beach, the sand and more economical hotels. The water is particularly beautiful (I don’t know if it’s the Covid effect), all transparent. There are no algae in the water, nothing at all! No waves either, it’s really great especially if you have children. Well, it’s a bit dead in autumn, but we went there anyway to see what it looked like. The boat n°1 goes there and it is the terminus.

That’s all for today, see you soon for new travel books!

Part 2: Practical Tips

  • Transport: not necessary because everything is feasible on foot (except for the islands)
    • 75mn : 7,5€
    • 24h : 20€
    • 48h : 30€
    • 72h : 40€
    • 7 days : 60€
    • you can buy tickets in advance (at the same price as on site) on the Civitatis website
  • Visits :
    • Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari: 3€/person
    • Scuola Grande of San Rocco: 8€/person
    • Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo: 10€/person
    • Murano Island & its glass artists: 5€/person to access a real workshop
    • Glass museum : 10€/person
  • Airbnb : 49€/night near the Arsenale in October 2020. Get up to 50€ discount for your 1st reservation on Airbnb by clicking here

You will also find a personalized Google Maps that I made with my sister for Italy here and all our articles in Italy here

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